Question #N840
Which of the following is equivalent to $(x^2 + 3)^2$?
A. x^4 + 9
B. x^4 + 6x^2 + 9
C. x^4 + 9x^2 + 9
D. x^4 + 12x^2 + 9
Correct Answer is: D
We can expand the expression using the FOIL method (First, Outer, Inner, Last): $(x^2 + 3)^2 = (x^2 + 3)(x^2 + 3) = x^4 + 3x^2 + 3x^2 + 9 = x^4 + 6x^2 + 9$. Therefore, the correct answer is D.